The Zion Labyrinth: NoCo’s most tranquil walk

Designed by one of the world's premier labyrinth artists, the labyrinth at Zion United Church of Christ offers a peaceful place for prayer and meditation.

For at least 4,000 years, human beings have used labyrinths as a tool for deeper personal insight and a way to connect with nature and the divine. Taking slow, purposeful steps on a winding pathway, you’re invited to calm your mind, set aside your daily concerns, and for a short while, simply be.

Reverend Mark Milligan of North County’s Zion United Church of Christ discovered this blissful experience while attending a conference in 1998, and he was so touched by it that he eventually inspired his congregation to build a labyrinth of its own.

“When I first walked on a labyrinth, I found it to be a very moving and freeing experience, allowing me to know God’s spirit in a much different way,” Milligan says. “I came back from the conference and just started talking about it and gathering photos, and then we started integrating labyrinths into our Bible study and Sunday school classes, and then finally the congregation just decided that we should install a labyrinth as a gift to the community.”

One of a handful of permanent labyrinths in the St. Louis area, the Zion Labyrinth is the only one located in North County.

It took several years to bring the project to fruition, but the church’s “gift to North County” opened in late 2005 and has since welcomed 25-30 visitors every week. Nestled on an idyllic woodland property just west of Jamestown Mall, the 48-foot circle features a gently intertwining path of paver bricks and rests in an incredibly peaceful setting enveloped by dense forest. It even overlooks the private Lake James.

“As a congregation we wondered what we could do that no other church was doing…what really made us stand out,” Milligan says. “With this beautiful, pastoral setting that we have, the labyrinth just seemed like a natural fit.”

To build it, Milligan sought the guidance of Robert Ferre, a world-renowned labyrinth builder who just happens to be based in St. Louis. Ferre’s company, Labyrinth Enterprises, has constructed more than 1,000 temporary and permanent labyrinths all over the globe, and Ferre himself is considered the leading expert in all things labyrinth.

The result of generous donations from Waldbart's Nursery and a Missouri Botanical Garden master gardener, the zen-like landscape surrounding the Zion Labyrinth greatly enhances the sense of tranquility.

He first became interested in the subject while visiting Gothic cathedrals in Europe, and before long he was completely intrigued by the medieval labyrinth at the Chartres cathedral in France – a classic and often repeated design dating from 1220. It was this pattern of 11 concentric circles that Ferre used to create the Zion Labyrinth.

“Being able to work with someone as knowledgeable as Robert has been such a joy,” Milligan says. “Since our labyrinth was built, he and I have been able to develop a friendship, and we now work together on the International Labyrinth Society, whose mission is to educate people on the history and benefits of labyrinths.”

Historically speaking, labyrinths show up in many world cultures – Greek, Peruvian, Ukranian, even Swedish – and the pathway often represents the journey between birth and death. For early Christians, labyrinths served as a mock pilgrimage for those unable to travel to the Holy Land, while for Hopi Indians, the labyrinth has always been a much revered symbol for Mother Earth.

Today, labyrinths are believed to enhance right brain activity, balance the body’s energy system, and of course, help you relax. “Walk the labyrinth and I guarantee you will feel some positive effect,” Milligan says, noting that even those in wheelchairs can participate. “We made sure that our labyrinth is open and accessible to everyone.”

And no, you don’t have to be a church member or even a Christian to enjoy it. “There’s never a fee, and there’s never an expectation that you have to join the church,” Milligan says. “We’ve just tried to create a place where people can come to get away for a while, and we truly do view it as a gift to the entire North County community.”

On May 1, Milligan and his congregation are taking their gift one step further by hosting a festival celebrating World Labyrinth Day. Members of local African Methodist Episcopal (AME) churches, who have been working with their own temporary labyrinths, are helping to organize the event, and Milligan expects to draw quite a crowd.

“It just amazes me how many positive things happen around the labyrinth, without us really doing anything purposefully,” he says. “All kinds of people are drawn to it, and now we’re even bringing people of different cultures and religions together. Really, it’s done so much more than we ever anticipated.”

Want to experience the Zion Labyrinth yourself? It’s located behind Zion United Church of Christ, 5710 N. Hwy 67, 63034, and is open every day, sunrise to sunset.

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